Diverse Consulting Services in Solar – Nexus Energy Tech

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Diverse Consulting Services in Solar – Nexus Energy Tech

Diverse Consulting Services in Solar – Nexus Energy Tech

An Interview @REI 2016

Global consultancy firms estimate that renewable energy consulting is a $250 million market (Source) and is full of opportunities for companies and individuals with good experience in this upcoming industry.

Mr.Arvind Karandikar of Nexus Energy Tech fully understood this large potential and started a small consulting firm back in 2010. Leveraging his wide technical experience in elite companies such as Solarex and Tata BP Solar, he was able to put together a small team to cater to the consultancy needs of the Indian Solar sector.

The Nexus team has direct experience of planning, designing and executing MW and sub-MW level solar power plants. The team members also have equally strong flair of component manufacturing within solar photovoltaics.

Nexus Energy Tech started off by assisting the PPP model solar projects in Gandhinagar, Gujarat during 2011-12. They also have partnered with global consulting firms such as Deloitte and PriceWaterHouse Coopers to provide domain-specific technical consulting.

Nexus Energy Tech is also the consultant to the US AID to develop standard curriculum for solar skills training for MNRE. They have also developed QP for the Suryamitra program for solar skills training. They are currently working on developing curriculum for Utility Department Engineers for solar installation training.

Solar Mango team was able to catch up with Mr.Arvind Karandikar, the founder of Nexus Energy Tech for a brief interview during the recent REI Expo 2016, held at Noida. A quick snapshot of the interview is given below:

Interview with Nexus Energy Tech

What are the key products and solutions Nexus Energy Tech provides to the Indian solar sector?

We provide technical consulting services such as design, engineering and procurement for rooftop solar power projects. We also consult for solar module manufacturing projects.

Which are the key end user segments for your products and solutions?

We work with Industrial and Commercial sector clients for rooftop solar consulting. We also work with Government organizations like MNRE, US AID for developing solar skills training course curriculum.

What are the highlights and USPs of your products and solutions?

Professional delivery is one key highlight that I hear again and again from my customers as feedback. We are able to do this because of our prior high on-ground experience. Our team has more than two decades of cumulative experience in solar.

Any future products and solutions you are coming up with for the Indian market?

We are working on a new project where we would be developing a centralized monitoring solution for State Government utilities which will be extremely helpful during commercial settlements to solar companies. We will be doing this by partnering with a start-up IT company to provide the tech background and this solution will be utilized by 12 Govt utilities in the country.

What are the key learnings you have had from the Indian solar energy sector so far?

Indian Solar sector is experiencing very haphazard growth. This kind of skewed growth could lead to risk of imbalance and grid instability.

What, according to you, are the key challenges faced by the Indian Solar market?

Skilled manpower is becoming a great challenge for the solar sector. While there are several training programs, hardly any program provides practical on-ground skill training.